Rate the problem-solving skills that you would bring to the NASA team from 1-10. How do you justify your rating?

"I rate my problem-solving skills as an 8/10. I will, on occasion, have times when I am not as efficient as I would like to be but all in all, I do feel that my problem-solving skills are above average. My supervisor and co-workers will attest to my fast reflexes when a problem arises, and they would also say that I remain calm under pressure and am able to communicate effectively with all that I work closely with. If I were fortunate enough to join your team at NASA, you would quickly find out that I bring great critical thinking skills to help solve your greatest of problems in this department."

"I would rate my problem-solving skills as a 9 out of 10. As a senior manager, the majority of my day is spent supporting others through their own problem solving processes, solving problems for my teams, solving problems for the groups we support, or working with my peers to solve problems on behalf of our managers. I am able to remain calm, gather the information needed to analyze the situation, brainstorm solutions, anticipate outcomes, develop action plans, and measure the quality of the solution. I feel confident I will be able to leverage these same skills effectively here at NASA."

"I would rate my problem-solving skills at an 8. I learned formal critical thinking and problem-solving techniques at a young age. We learned to solve problems using critical and outside-of-the-box thinking techniques within individual and group settings. I have been working with those skill sets ever since.

I am also formally trained in several root cause analysis techniques. I believe that uncovering the root cause or causes of an issue is a critical step in the problem-solving process that is often overlooked or skipped to save time. In my experience, skipping this step can lead to solutions that mask symptoms without solving the problem.

I believe my experience solving problems daily as an analyst combined with my critical thinking and root cause analysis skill sets justifies my score of 8 out of 10. I know there is always room to grow, and I look forward to a lifelong pursuit of continual improvement in this area."

"As a project manager, one of my main duties is to solve problems on behalf of my team. I also spend ample time anticipating problems that might occur and developing strategies to mitigate them. Additionally, I am usually involved in the development of solutions for business critical or customer-focused problems. Given my experience, and the fact I continually use and refine my problem solving skills on a daily basis, I would rate myself a 9 out of 10 in this area."

"I rate my ability to solve problems as an 8 out of 10. Engineering is like working on a never-ending puzzle. There are always issues to resolve or opportunities to improve. I have worked on aerospace technology for a long time, but my experience is limited to private sector aircraft. I feel I need to grow my skills by working with problems related to other aircraft models, and specifically those meant for space exploration.

That is why I am interviewing for the position here at NASA. I feel I can immediately put my experience to use within this department while ultimately learning about and solving problems within the space exploration aspect of the aerospace industry."

When asked questions about your problem-solving abilities, you of course want to give yourself a healthy rating. However, it's crucial that you remain realistic as you answer. Try to avoid giving yourself a 10 because nobody is perfect and you do not want to come across as overly confident or someone who has no room for feedback and improvement.

Alternately, avoid giving yourself too little credit. You do not want to paint the picture that you are a poor problem solver. Try to remain in the 7.5-9.5 range while staying honest and accurate. Everyone has room to learn and improve! Be sure to justify your score as well.